Machina & Sand
by turkeyplatter
Summary: Basically, this is the back-story to Rikku before FFX. References are made to Gippal, but the focus of the story is Rikku. The romantic factor in this fanfic is almost non-existent, but whatever. You don't like? Don't read.
1. WatcherTT

1

Category:

Final Fantasy X

Disclaimer:

I do not own Final Fantasy X, Spira, or the characters.

Description:

This is a piece of randomness that just started unfolding when I sat down with a blank page in front of me. Basically, this is a back-story for Rikku. Yes, I know it's short, and I may add more to it later; still, I like it. Time gaps are assumed between the chapters, but it's fairly easy to catch on and goes right up to the beginning events of FFX. Enjoy!

On a personal note, this is one my favorites. Why? Beats me. It took me another play-through on FFX to really connect with Rikku's character, and I hate the apparent character regression that's in place before/during FFX-2 (the FF gods made her a dumb blonde in FFX-2, even though she's anything but that in FFX). Anyhow, this is the Rikku I saw in my second play-through. It's short yet sweet. "Yes," I am randomly a girl.

Language Note: Al'Bhed is in normal font while standard Spiran is in **bold**.

Watcher-TT

A euphoric grin spread across her face as the small machina finally took form. Rikku had been scavenging 'useless' bits from old salvage stocks for the past three weeks in search of scraps that could be made to fit her invention. Building the motor had been the most challenging part as it had to be durable enough to keep the internal propellers within an acceptable rotation variation yet light enough to not make the machina drop out of the sky like a dead peregrine. The next major obstacle had been fitting the unit with six fans to keep the motor from overheating. After figuring that out, installing sensor grids and welding the external paneling into place had been a synch.

As the orange glow faded from the cooling metal, Rikku removed her protective goggles. Blowing on it for good measure, she snatched up the remote control and brought her little machina to life.

The motor and fans _whizzed _and _whirred _loudly, coaxing the machina into a wobbly hover. Switching the scanner's radius to a mere five feet, Rikku turned her attention to flight control. Any higher than three feet and the machina started to shake uncontrollably, but this was just the first prototype. Manipulating the knobs, Rikku lowered the gizmo to two feet and maneuvered the flying machina in circles and loops around her chair at various speeds before attempting to land it under her desk. The machina sputtered to a halt, hovered for a moment, and dropped unceremoniously onto the pillow she had placed there for such an occasion.

Grinning, Rikku brought up the controller's screen and accessed the information transmitted during its first flight. It had detected all six of the hidden 'treasures' in her room and identified her location in proportion to the obstacles in the room (a.k.a. her bed, chair, and desk). "Oh, yeah!" she cheered.

Just then, her door chimed.

"Hold on a second!" she called, scrambling to shift the machina and remote control under her bed. Scattering a pile of metal scraps around her, she pretended to ticker with a completely useless gizmo she had completed ages ago. Sufficiently nonchalant, "Come in!"

The door scrapped open.

Rikku glanced at Brother before pretending to continue the gizmo's fine-tuning. "What do you want?" she asked ungraciously.

Brother scowled, but Rikku didn't pay that any mind. Brother was always scowling. "Father wants to speak with you." He paused. "What are you working on?" he demanded.

With an exaggerated sigh, Rikku allowed the gizmo to drop to the floor. "Nothing much," she responded, dusting herself off. Rikku eyed Brother's newest set of purple flame tattoos. He seemed determined to cover every inch of his skin before puberty. Stupid Brother. "Nice flames," she lied. "Maybe the next ones can spell 'idiot' across your forehead."

Brother made a general sound of derision before stalking down the corridor. He hated it when she made smarmy comments that he couldn't think of comebacks for, which, of course, only encouraged further smarminess.

Trotting after him, Rikku noted that this section of Home had finally been completed, the last weld marks still faintly glowing. Rikku smiled fondly at the haphazard bits of scrap metal that were now functional bulkheads. It had taken Pops almost as long as she'd been alive to do it, but Al'Bhed finally had a place to unite and call their own. Of course, no one else in Spira could know about it, but the Al'Bhed knew, and that was enough. _We're no longer nomads by force but by choice_. Rikku remembered Pops' words and grinned.

Misinterpreting her look, Brother eyed her suspiciously. "What's so funny?"

Rikku smiled sweetly. "You." She made it to the end of the corridor before Brother caught her in a headlock. "Owowowowowowowowow!"

"Who's funny now?" he gloated. Rikku didn't have to see Brother to know that he was posing.

"Let up, you big meanie!" Brother rubbed his fist against her head for good measure before allowing her to escape. Immediately, Rikku shoved him, rather ineffectually. "You should be nicer to me! I'm your only little sister, ya know?"

Brother crossed his tattooed arms and made a point of glaring down at her. "And I am your only older brother," he declared. "That means you have to be nicer to me than I am to you."

Ignoring his posturing, Rikku rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right," she dismissed and resumed walking. Miffed, Brother gave her the silent treatment for the remainder of the trek to Home's outer courtyard. Rikku savored the silence.

Pops was looking cross, as usual. "What do you mean you can't make the trip now!" he demanded of the unsuspecting Vinel, who was in charge of security for speeder caravans. "What good is security detail if they won't protect incoming Al'Bhed? No good, that's what. Are you trying to sabotage us by isolating Home from free Al'Bhed access?"

"I can't keep risking my men's lives by transporting non-combatants into the heart of Bikanel's most dangerous region," Vinel protested.

"Ha!" Pops scoffed, "Those fiends could be knocked over with a sneeze. Then again, maybe you're too yellow to take on that level of fiend."

Rikku recognized the intimidation tactic. In another few minutes, the man would crack. She had seen it countless times and would have waited for Pops to send the caravan security back to work if she had not a unique solution to this problem. Strolling past Brother, she inserted herself as casually as possible next to Pops.

"Hiya, Pops!" she greeted. "Hey, Vinel!"

Vinel nodded his acknowledgement before returning his attention to Pops, but Pops kept his attention on her. "Wait just a minute, Rikku," his gruff voice softened a tad. He returned his steely gaze to Vinel. "This will be over in a minute." The man's jaw clenched.

Forcing a light laugh, Rikku scratched the back of her head. "Actually, Pops, I kinda wanted to show you something I made. It's a machina for reconnaissance." Now she had both of their attentions. "I just finished the first prototype. It isn't perfect, but it should warn a caravan if there are any unmanageable fiends approaching." Rikku bit her lip. She wasn't sure if the last part was entirely true, but the theory was sound she was desperate for a field test. Besides, she had confidence that anything she built would last at least a week before falling apart.

"Well, let's see it," Pops assented.

Grinning, Rikku scampered back to her room to retrieve the prized invention from under her bed.

Controller in hand, Rikku noted the looks shot at her device, both curious and appraising. She had a pretty good track record for inventing crazy models that were quickly seized by Al'Bhed techs, improved, and mass-produced. That was one of the reasons Rikku had hoped to keep this invention a secret for awhile longer. For once, she wanted to present an unflawed machina as her own, but caravan safety took priority, and, if her machina tinkering might help Vinel's company come back without casualties, it was worth the early presentation.

Placing her prize carefully on the ground, Rikku began a brief demonstration of her invention's limited maneuverability and hovering capabilities. "He's not as fast as a speeder, and I haven't figured out how to improve the hover stability. Sorry, he's just a prototype," she finished with a light blush. Rikku did not try to land the machina but shifted it to Wait Mode and plucked it out of the air. "But that's not important right now," she dismissed the fact that she had built the first successful flying machina since the time of the fabled 'airship' of millennia past. "Here," she said, turning the remote so Vinel could see the controller screen. "This is a treasure and terrain map of Home being transmitted from Watcher here back to the controller. He only has a range of seventy feet, so I'm not sure how useful he'll be. Still, if you hold him on your lap and keep him in Wait Mode, his scanners should provide enough forewarning to avoid any fiends that are too dangerous."

As Vinel familiarized himself with the controls, Rikku glanced around to gauge the small crowd's reaction. The newer Al'Bhed were shaking their heads in disbelief while the rest quickly explained that she had created half of the prototypes that had become Al'Bhed staples in the past six years. Rikku pretended not to notice but allowed herself a small smile. Maybe that patch-wearing dolt and his friends would finally stop referring to her as _Cid's girl._

"What are the white Xs?" Vinel asked, recalling her attention.

"Buried treasure," she responded without looking at the screen. The crowd chuckled softly. Without batting an eye, Rikku explained, "It's designed to detect objects buried in the sand. Right now, the sensors only have a penetration of two feet down, and they don't discriminate between small objects, like a lost potion, and larger objects, like covered ruins." The chuckling died. If this device could be improved, it would save the Al'Bhed a lot of time spent on meaningless digging. Instead, they could just go to a site and dig precisely where the ruins were located. Months would be saved. "I'll have to make the sensors more sensitive next time," she said, already planning the next model's design.

Rikku remained oblivious to the world until Pops grunted, "Treasure and terrain, huh?"

She started slightly but grinned at Pops' approving tone. "Yup!" she chimed. "Watcher-TT!" Just because she could get away with it, Rikku spun in a circle and jumped excitedly. Pops laughed. Rikku spun again. Pops hadn't laughed much since cousin Yunie had decided to become a summoner. He needed to laugh more.


	2. Cousin Yunie

2

Cousin Yunie

Sometimes, a dive would pass close to Besaid Island. On these occasions, she and Brother would usually find some excuse to go along, and an emergency escape boat would mysteriously go missing for a day or so. Rikku was certain the dive crews knew what going on, but they were Cid's kids, so they got away with a lot. This was one such excursion.

Rikku had never liked the idea of subtly. She didn't like hiding in the green forest of Besaid, nice as the forest was, just for a chance to catch her favorite cousin alone and talk to her. Of course, Yunie was her only cousin, but that just made their stolen family reunions all the more important…and the waiting all the more unbearable. So, Rikku ignored standard protocol and rushed her cousin as soon as the other kids left the beach.

Yunie turned around and smiled her excitement. **"Rikku?"**

Tackling her for confirmation, Rikku giggled and hugged Yunie tightly. Stepping back after a moment, Rikku eyed her cousin with a perfect imitation of Pops' frown. **"You look tired."**

The light immediately faded from Yunie's face.

"Rikku, don't stand so close to Yuna," Brother reprimanded, "You might catch her disease."

Rikku stuck out her tongue at him.

Annoyed, Brother resorted to scowling.

"**What did he say?"** Yunie asked tentatively. Although she was half-Al'Bhed, Yunie didn't know the language and was always a little nervous around the uncommunicative Brother.

"**He wants to know why you've decided to become a summoner,"** Rikku interpreted Brother's vague remark. She gauged Yunie's guarded expression before adding, **"We all do."**

Yunie hesitated for a moment before she burst into tears. Startled, Rikku froze.

"What did you say?" Brother immediately demanded.

"Me?" her voice held a vaguely frantic quality. "Why did _I _have to be the one to say something? I just translated what you said!"

"What I said is no reason to cry," he declared.

Rikku hesitated before looking guiltily as her shoes. "I asked Yunie why she wants to be a summoner," she confessed. Yunie's sobs giving rise to her own emotions, Rikku continued, **"It just isn't fair! Why should summoners die so the rest of us can live without Sin? Al'Bhed would never leave a comrade behind for fiends. Why is the rest of Spira so happy about summoners dying to fight Sin?" **Rikku didn't mean to, but she started to cry. Clinging to her cousin, Rikku continued to sob, **"Yunie, don't do it. Don't die. Please, don't die."**

When they were both done sobbing, Brother had to pry her and Yunie apart to get Rikku's attention. The sun had almost gone down, and high tides were always more difficult to navigate, even with machina.

"**I won't let you die, Yunie,"** she vowed stubbornly.

Her cousin just smiled sadly.

Brother remained silent for most of the trek back to the boat, hands resting behind his head in thought. At length, Brother slowly said, "We'll save Yuna together. You invent something that can beat Sin, and I'll stop Yuna's pilgrimage."

Rikku stopped and looked at Brother, trying to decide if he was teasing. When his small smile didn't waver, Rikku hugged him. "Thanks, Brother."


	3. Sin Buster

3

Sin Buster

During the next year, Rikku became something she had never been before: a recluse. Emerging from her private workshop only for food or machina scavenging, she quickly fulfilled any other requirements set upon her as Pops' daughter before rushing back to her workshop. Most everyone recognized her single-mindedness as the usual sign that another invention was brewing, but she had never taken this long to complete something.

So, when she approached Pops in the courtyard and said, "I need help," everyone was shocked. If she was bothering Pops, it meant that she needed more than a few spare moments from the techs and couldn't continue without a team. She had never needed a team before.

Pops looked gravely at her before grunting something about speaking in private.

Rikku nodded and set up a vigil in the main courtyard.

About ten minutes later, Brother casually leaned against the wall next to her. "So, you have asked for a team?" he prodded, trying not to sound interested.

"Word travels fast," she responded mechanically. When Brother didn't say anything, Rikku added, "I need you on the team." Brother started at her words, making him look like a big, semi-purple fiend. Rikku grinned at the thought. "You promised you'd help stop Yunie's pilgrimage. Well, here's how we're going to do it." She hefted the unseemly pile of schematics in her lap.

Brother's eyes lighted with excitement. "Of course!" he declared, posing so the new purple flames on his biceps stood out more than usual. "I am the best mechanic in all of Spira! If something is broken, I can fix it."

Rikku's grin faded a tad. "I'm counting on that."

* * *

Ignoring the conference table, Rikku spent the first ten minutes just piecing together the main schematic on the floor and setting up more specialized designs near their corresponding locations on the larger schematic. As the team spread out to analyze her work, Rikku noted the familiar faces. Pops was the ancient machina expert. Larrs and Kayakou, Home's top techs, were there. Basil as engineer, and Brother. Gippal was also there since he'd invented a few tinker toys in his day. The only person she hadn't worked with before was the power specialist, Jael. She stayed quiet for a few minutes, carefully gauging individual reactions as they each realized the basic purpose for her latest would-be invention.

"Wow, Cid's girl," Gippal breathed after a few minutes, "didn't know you wanted to end the world that badly."

Taking that as her cue, Rikku joined the team slowly circling around her designs. "I call it the Sin Buster," she declared. She paused long enough for that to sink in before continuing, "It would only be used once and then dismantled. These," she nodded toward the scattered papers on the floor, "destroyed immediately after completion."

Jael cocked his head at the generator's design. "This won't work," he mused, picking up the paper for closer inspection. "The power output would be too unstable."

Rikku nodded her agreement. "That isn't all," she added to his critique, picking up another page from the floor. "Most of this depends on scavenging ancient machina that either still works or can be repaired and adapted to specific purposes." She glanced at Pops.

"There are flaws," Kayakou stared intently at the overall schematic, then, slowly, "but we can make this work."

Brother let out a sound of irritation. "Rikku, remind me to teach you how to build something that will not topple from its own weight," he reprimanded, but his eyes were sparking with ideas.

"That's exactly why I need you guys." Brother looked surprised at the admission. "I don't know enough about what I'm doing to pull this off," she gestured to her schematics. "This'll take years to get right and put together, but if it could kill Sin, it's worth it, ya know?" She had never been good at speeches, but she seemed to have gotten her point across.

Larrs was the one who asked the unpopular question, "And if a summoner defeats Sin before this is completed, what then? Wait for the next generation?"

Rikku flashed her signature grin. "Nope," she said, grabbing a fistful of designs still on the conference table and passing them around. "Those are various models of Extractors, designed to safely separate summoners from their guardians at key points in the pilgrimage."

As the team looked over her designs, they slowly started to nod. "No one will defeat Sin because we'll have all the summoners," said Gippal. "Nice, Cid's girl."

Pops shot a look at Gippal before starting, "We'll have to keep the summoners in an isolated place so they can't be rescued easily." He paused, then grunted, "I suppose we could convert that storage room into a sanctum of sorts. We'll probably be using most of those spare parts on these things anyway."

"A summoners' sanctum," Basil smirked at the schematic she was analyzing. "Has a nice ring to it, ya know."


	4. Gippal

4

Gippal

Home became very busy. Although Sin hadn't reappeared yet, they were in a race against time to have everything in place before it did appear and before Yunie started her pilgrimage. The others might be fooled, but Pops and Brother knew that the inspiration behind her wild designs was the probability that Yunie could defeat Sin. Even though Yunie was years away from even attempting to gain her first aeon, Rikku had no doubt that Yunie would journey all the way to Zanarkand and gain the final aeon. And then she'd die.

"She's just stubborn enough to do it, too," Rikku muttered at the scraps she was welding together.

"Talking to yourself, Cid's girl?" Gippal teased as he entered the team workshop.

Rikku didn't spare him a glance but freed a hand to wave. "You finish the fine tuning on the Extractor sub?" she asked.

Gippal grabbed a welding tool and started patching up a minor hull breach on a speeder near where she was working. "Even shined it for you," he said lightly.

She smiled in spite of herself. "Good. I'll ask Pops if I can take it on the next dive. Take it for a spin."

"You should take a break," Gippal yelled over the rumble of their welding tools.

Rikku shook her head. "No time," she shouted back. "We're still missing parts for the Sin Buster."

Gippal waited until she switched off her welder before retorting, "Let Jael go. He's good on a dive."

Rikku was shaking her head before Gippal finished. "Jael is good, but he doesn't know what he's looking for."

"And you do?"

She shrugged and pulled off her protective gloves. "I'll know it when I see it," she dismissed. Gippal smirked in amusement. Rikku made a show of returning her welder to the worktable so Gippal wouldn't see her blush. Lately, she had found his quips less irritating. He still frustrated the machina out of her, but she was starting to realize that she liked him. And who knew? Maybe he liked her and they'd get married. That's how Al'Bhed did things. Life was too short to wait for a second love. Suddenly embarrassed with the turn her thoughts had taken, Rikku marched purposefully to the opposite side of the workshop.

"Hey, Kayakou," she greeted cheerily. "How's that turbine coming?"

A grunt came by way of response. He really had been spending too much time around Pops. "Fine," he said, rolling out from underneath the machina. "He make his move yet?" Rikku blinked at her friend. "Never mind. Wrench." Placing the tool in his outstretched hand, Rikku watched Kayakou disappear back under the turbine.

* * *

"Brother, careful!" Rikku shouted as he practiced a snatch and grab with the landside Extractor. She cursed fluently as she barely missed being impaled by one of the Extractor's arms. "Are you trying to capture me or kill me, you big oaf!"

The Extractor powered down and the hatch popped open. "You're moving around too much!" he accused, pointing a finger for emphasis.

Rikku wanted to scream. "Of course I am, dummy," she snapped, "Do you think the summoners are going to hold still while this thing is chasing them?"

"Well, if you know so much, you do it," Brother declared, crossing his arms stubbornly.

She let out a noise of general frustration. "Fine," she agreed. Brother didn't seem to believe she had accepted his challenge until she climbed up the Extractor's leg and literally pushed him out of the way. "Be a good summoner and run away," she hollered at the cloud of dust where Brother had landed. Sealing the hatch, Rikku settled into the pilot seat and brought the Extractor back to life. Brother was still staring in disbelief when she angled her first step to force him to jump back. That seemed to snap Brother to his senses…or out of them. He started running around, yelling obscenities about deranged machina and little sisters. Rikku shot the Extractor after him.

* * *

Brother safely contained in the barrier hanging beneath the Extractor, Rikku lumbered the machina back to Home. Several amused smirks and catcalls were directed at Brother. Everyone knew that he was supposed to be the pilot. Rikku couldn't suppress a giggle.

"It's not funny," Brother's sulky voice came over the comm.

Rikku grinned. "Oh, sure it is," she teased.

"Is not," Brother muttered, just to have the last word.

Pausing at the drop site, Rikku deposited Brother before maneuvering the Extractor into its spot in the cargo hold. The cargo doors scrapped shut behind her.

Powering down, she felt almost giddy. This was going to work. They were almost ready. Giggling lightly to herself, Rikku unsealed the hatch and jumped out.

"Nice work, Cid's girl."

Rikku spun around and grinned, too excited to let Gippal's teasing dampen her mood. "Brother was being a real pain," she confided, dancing on the spot. Gippal laughed at her antics, but Rikku didn't care. She had been gunning for a spot as an Extractor pilot for months. Pops wasn't too keen on the idea, given how young she would still be when the Extractor would be used, but she was consistently one of the top three pilots in test runs. If she didn't make herself a pest and caught Pops in the right mood, she might even get assigned to rescue Yunie.

A hand waved in front of her face, snapping her back to the cargo hold. "Where'd you go, Cid's girl?"

She blushed at how close Gippal was but responded honestly, "I want to pilot the Extractor that rescues Yunie."

"Hmm," Gippal mused, scratching the back of his head. It wasn't a secret that Pops' niece was a half Al'Bhed who was determined to take up the pilgrimage. "Lord Braska's daughter. I'd like to meet her."

Rikku didn't know why, but she didn't like the idea of Yunie meeting the flirtatious Gippal. "I don't think you'd like her very much," she blurted. "She's very serious. Not your type at all." The only thing that was more mortifying than her words was the slow smirk that was spreading across Gippal's face.

"Oh?" he asked, stepping closer. "And what is my type?"

Rikku's cheeks flamed as she struggled to look anywhere but at Gippal. "Um…er…I don't know," she finished lamely, biting her lower lip. Trust her to go and say something completely stupid.

"Huh. That's too bad," Gippal nonchalantly tucked her hair behind her ear, "'cause I'm pretty sure that you're my type." If it was possible, Rikku had no doubt that she had just gained another shade of red. Gippal just grinned and pressed his lips against hers.

Rikku's mind didn't have time to unfreeze before someone loudly cleared his throat. She jumped, but Gippal kept his arm firmly around her as they turned to face…Pops. Rikku's mind descended into a hopeless spiral. Her first kiss, witnessed by Pops. Unable to take the tense atmosphere, Rikku risked a small, "Hi, Pops."

He glared at them both, but mostly at Gippal. "Hate to interrupt," he said gruffly, "but this is important. Sin has been sighted near Bevelle."

Rikku's heart sank. If Sin had been sighted, Yunie would begin her pilgrimage, no matter how young she was. Rikku gave Gippal's hand a squeeze in apology before disentangling herself. "We'll have to launch all dives and excavations now. We're out of time," she thought aloud.

"They're already waiting for you outside," Pops said softly.

Absently, Rikku hugged Pops and hurried toward the main courtyard.


	5. Dive

2

Dive

Rikku couldn't believe their luck. Not only had they found machina that could complete the gaps in the Sin Buster, but it was all contained in a room that had miraculously maintained air pressure during the past thousand or so years. The luck came with a twist, however, as a strange man was in the pressurized area fighting a nasty fiend. It had taken Rikku a full second to realize that the stranger wasn't a fiend but just very oddly dressed. Thankfully, she was still the unofficial leader of the dive and he hadn't been shot. Still, his presence presented a problem.

She looked at his sleeping form as the others mulled about the deck, pretending not be bodyguards. It had nearly killed them to hang along the sides of the boat and wait just inside the ship, ready to intervene, while she and Tidus—she had learned his name—'talked alone.' "Any idea where he's from?" Kayakou asked.

Rikku shrugged. Tidus had said he was from Zanarkand, but that was crazy. She believed him, but it was still crazy. All the stories said that Zanarkand was a graveyard, yet he had described a machina city and was completely un-phased by the copious amounts of machina openly displayed by the Al'Bhed. She smiled slightly. "He doesn't even know who the Al'Bhed are," she tossed back.

Kayakou straightened in suspicion. "That's not possible," he denied flatly.

"Tell me something I don't know," she laughed lightly, "but I trust him."

Kayakou looked at her sharply. "Then you and Gippal—"

"It's not like that!" Rikku protested, instantly turning a deep red. "Meanie." He laughed as she threw a mock punch at his chest. Only when she was sure Kayakou wasn't going to imply anything again did she turn her gaze back toward Tidus. "I told him we'd drop him in Luca. It's the most likely place that someone will recognize him, and we can't go Home with him onboard anyway."

Kayakou nodded. "Don't get too attached," he teased. "Gippal will get jealous."

Rikku turned another brilliant shade of crimson.

FIN


End file.
